Catholic Charities Jazz Brunch

Fundraiser shines spotlight on silent heroes
who help carry out mission of serving the poor

By Pamela Seal
Diocese of Lake Charles

LAKE CHARLES — One could easily agree that the good works of Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana can be described as “active love.” It is all about the day in and day out labor in showing up for the people God places in our path.

The annual Jazz Brunch fundraiser on Laetare Sunday, March 15, 2026, offered a festive opportunity at the Historic Cash & Carry for approximately 225 supporters to hear how the non-profit agency brings Christ’s merciful love to those in need throughout Southwest Louisiana.

Laetare is Latin for rejoice, and there was plenty to celebrate — from a silent auction with competitive online bidding; a delicious brunch provided by Roderick Stutes and Cheers Event Services; the smooth sounds of “The Sharp Nines,” a jazz trio featuring local musicians Mason Feduccia, Wesley Royer and Taylor Teague; His Excellency Bishop Glen John Provost playing “As Time Goes By” on the keyboard; and Father Trey Ange sharing his gift of enthusiasm as emcee for the joyful event.

The theme for this year’s Jazz Brunch was “I have loved you" (Rev 3:9) based on the Pope Leo XIV’s first Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te, to all Christians on love for the poor. 

“Sometimes people speak of charity in terms of giving the poor a hand-up versus a hand-out. Christ showed us that both are necessary,” said Sister Marie Josepha Kluczny, RSM, Executive Director. “Jesus taught huge crowds, gave them words that transformed their lives, and grace that opened Heaven itself. That is a hand-up if there ever was one,” she continued, “yet He also fed those same crowds so that they would not faint on their way home.”

Sister said that Catholic Charities seeks to help people secure work or to find affordable housing, to be able to become self-sufficient as much as a human being can be self-sufficient.

“We cannot solve every social problem, nor or the factors contributing to poverty easily resolved. When we cannot overcome these barriers, we should not think that a hand-out is not worthwhile,” she remarked. “We cannot, as the Holy Father tells us, risk abandoning those who lack the necessities of life. We will always have the poor with us, and this side of Heaven, almsgiving will always be a critical part of loving the poor.”

Before sharing highlights from the 2024-2025 Impact Report, Sister Marie Josepha expressed her gratitude to those in attendance at the brunch.

“I want to thank you all so much for coming out today to celebrate with us, to fundraise with us, and enjoy this beautiful Sunday afternoon in Lent,” she said, followed by praise for her staff. “I am continually inspired by their goodness and their generosity and how much they go above and beyond to meet the needs of our clients.”

Critical Programs,
Services Offered

Among the numerous services provided by Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana is its monthly food distributions, a total of 12 in all — two at the Catholic Charities site in Lake Charles, and 10 sites spread out over the five-parish region in Big Lake, Bell City, Creole, DeRidder, Elton, Jennings, Kinder, Ragley, Sulphur, and Vinton.

“Feeding the hungry is one of our greatest works. It is at the heart of our mission at Catholic Charities,” remarked Sister Marie Josepha. “We can often take for granted having enough to eat and sometimes forget that people truly experience hunger in our community.”

Last fiscal year, Catholic Charities distributed more than 917,000 pounds of food to almost 3,700 hungry families.

“We also hand out ‘homeless bags’ that include about a day’s worth of shelf stable food,” Sister said. “Our food bank manager told me recently that after handing out one of those bags, he saw the man a minute later sitting across the street eating the food.”

Another critical part of the agency’s mission is to help families find housing. Over the last year, the Homeless Outreach team helped 70 individuals move into permanent housing.

“One man the team recently helped move into housing proudly sent a little video of his immaculately clean pantry filled with food,” Sister Marie Josepha shared. “He remarked, ‘I have never had this much food. I used to spend my money on drugs, and now that I am clean, I spend it on rent and food.”

Getting choked up and teary eyed, Sister Marie Josepha said that a total of 681 showers were provided with the laundry/shower trailer and more than 1,100 loads of laundry for the clients. The trailer rotates to several sites throughout the month as well as during times of winter emergency sheltering at Water’s Edge in Lake Charles.

“The clients look forward to this as for most of them, it is the only shower they receive that month. It is not just being able to wash their clothes and take a shower, it is the kindness that they receive from our staff and our volunteers that affects them,” she pointed out. “They feel loved and tell our staff that we are the closest thing they have to family.”

Sister Marie Josepha said that all these numbers represent more than just services provided. She said that they represent “lives that are touched and God’s love made visible across Southwest Louisiana.”

Additional services offered include rent and utilities assistance, help with prescription and funeral costs, SNAP applications, employment assistance, bus tickets, and disaster relief.

SPECIAL HONOREES

The highlight of the brunch was the recognition of Wade Boyett and Ron Bertrand for their many years of service and generosity to Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana.

Caritas Award

This year’s Caritas Award was presented to Wade Boyett for exemplifying a life of selfless giving. 

“The best way I know to describe Wade’s generosity is simple: If he has it, you are welcome to it,” said Sister Marie Josepha as she began her remarks. “He first shows that generosity in his own family to his wife Becky and their children, Eric, Amy, and Scott.”

Through his company Industrial Refrigeration Corporation, Wade has quietly helped countless people in the community.

“After hurricanes, when families were trying to recover and homes were hot and humid, Wade gave out extra air-conditioning units to those who needed them,” Sister shared. “The generosity that began at home has overflowed to the entire community, especially Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana.”

A longtime benefactor of Catholic Charities giving his time, talent, and treasure, Sister Marie Josepha said that Wade’s support goes back at least to the time of former executive director, Sister Mary Vianney Walsh, RSM.

“Through both his personal and his company generosity, Wade has donated funds to provide turkeys for our food bank clients’ holiday meals. Before Catholic Charities purchased our refrigerated food truck, Wade provided his own refrigerated trailer to store overflow food,” Sister continued.

“Whenever we have needed to repair or replace freezers or refrigerators in our warehouse, Wade has often waived labor costs for us and intentionally made sure his bid was the lowest. Last but not least, every Christmas, Wade sends our staff giant bars of chocolate,” Sister said with delight.

Saint Peter Claver Award

This year’s recipient of the Saint Peter Claver Award is Ron Bertrand. The award, named for the patron saint of the Diocese of Lake Charles, honors service to the least among us, and Sister Marie Josepha said that Ron is “truly someone who lives that calling.”

A man of deep faith, placing his love for God first and his family close behind it, Ron and his wife, Luisa, have been married for 40 years and built a loving family with their two children, Anthony and Nicole, and their four grandchildren, Kaden, Riggs, Victoria and Lola.

Following his retirement after 38 years at PPG Industries as a safety shift supervisor, Ron put those skills to work by volunteering at Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana.

“For more than seven years, Ron faithfully served as one of our dedicated food truck drivers, recently retiring from that role to care for his family,” Sister Marie Josepha shared, explaining that a typical food distribution day requires about six hours of service from the food truck drivers.

“Ron showed up at our warehouse in the cold and heat, wind and rain, helped train new volunteers and worked closely with site coordinators to ensure each site ran smoothly,” Sister said. “Ron is a man who has put his faith in action always lending a hand at St. John Bosco Catholic Church (in Westlake) or serving communities across Southwest Louisiana. By conservative estimates, Ron has given to Catholic Charities alone more than 5,500 volunteer hours to serve the hungry families throughout our region.”

•••••

For more information on the amazing work of Catholic Charities, CLICK HERE.

If you are interested in helping with the ministry of Catholic Charities, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Individuals and groups are welcome. 

To learn more about the connection between Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana and the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan, CLICK HERE.